A Stitch on my Heart
by Otakurec.37
Summary: Big Macintosh needs something mended and heads to the only person in town that can fix it for him, but will he find more than a quick fix? Probably, it is a romance. Human AU, Big Mac X Rarity.


Yes, I'm kinda back, and despite my age and gender, I love MLP:FiM. I kept obsessing over this idea in my head and had to get it out.

For an idea of what I envision The Apple Family to look like see:

deviantart

.com/art/Human-Apples-214741654?q=boost%3Apopular%20apple%20family%20human&qo=0

And for how I see Rarity:

.com/art/Show-me-your-Tea-Leaves-216823324

I do not own MLP or the artwork.

* * *

><p>The mid-day sun was beating down on him like a day in the Sahara, of course it didn't help that he refused to take off his thin red flannel shirt, it just suited him so perfectly he felt bare without it. Though going bare seemed mighty nice right about now. He was sweating more than fat guy walking up a gentle slope, and that hot engine from the big green tractor he was on wasn't helping much to lighten the situation. "Ahh ta heck with it" he exclaimed as he unbuttoned and flung his crimson shirt in the back of the cab. "Sigh… that is so much better" as he sat back in the seat in his heavily stained white t-shirt. He took off his hat with his hand and used his wrist to wipe some sweat away from his brow, grazing his now soaked blonde hair stuck to his head.<p>

He looked around to see the now barren field he was finally being finished reaping, his bale in the back full as he pulled up to the front of the barn to unload for the day. He grabbed his shirt from the back and as he hopped down from the cab heard a loud rip and jerk on his arm. With his feet firmly on hard hay-sprinkled ground he looked at the guilty hand to see his favorite shirt torn right up the middle of the back, caught on a lever from the inside. "Ahh shoot!" he yelled.

"What? What's going on Big Mac?" he heard his sister Applejack say as she poked her head around the giant barn door. "Is the tractor broke down again?" she said as she walked up to him eyeing the front of the big green John Clydesdale tractor for smoke.

"Nnnope" he responded, holding his now ruined shirt for her to see.

"Aww Mac, your favorite shirt."

"Eeyup" he said. Then looked at her reluctantly, "Do ya think ya could… ya know… fix it fer me?" he said woefully.

"Me? Ah ain't exactly handy with a needlin' or threadin'. I can bail hay till the cows come home, but precise ain't mah style. And Granny's got the arthritis and can barely take a sip uh soup th'out spilling some, so you're 0 fer 2 Big Mac." He looked down dejectedly. Applejack tilted he head down and squinted her lips to the side in thought until her head sprang up with a bright grin. "How bout Rarity? Ahm sure she'd fix it fer ya."

"Ah don't know, Ah don't want to be a bother."

"Oh, so you can be a bother ta me, but not Rarity?" she said playfully indignant.

He looked down at her with the same look she was giving to him, "Yer family" he stated solidly.

"And Rarity's one of mah best friends, which practically makes her family too. Now Ahm gonna go call her, now you follow me inside so we can get this straightened out." she said walking towards the main house.

"But AJ…" his voice falling on deaf ears. He sighed and simply followed her out like a baby duck after its mama. Once Applejack said something was going to get done, there was no arguing with her.

As they walked in, Granny Smith was putting some preservatives in jars and setting the loose jars aside for Big Macintosh to tighten later. "Scuse me Granny" Applejack said as she squeezed past her sweet old elder to reach the phone on the other side of the kitchen. She was set to dial the number when she saw Big Macintosh staring bored at her. "Ya know, if yer headin' over to see Rarity, Ahd towel yerself off first and put on a fresh shirt ta go with it."

"But then Ahl get two shirts smelly stead of one" he stated as a matter of fact.

"You'd walk into that nice boutique uh her's and make her embarrassed that such a dirty man is asking fer her help?" she retorted.

He tried to think of an excuse quickly. "But what about the load in the tractor… it's gotta be…"

She cut him off, "Ah finished my work out in the orchard, so Ah can handle it. Now march!" she said authoritatively while pointing to the stairs.

He just sighed defeatedly and walked up the stairs to his room. His room used to be Applebloom's, but moved into his parents soon after they passed, no point in wasting the space. He tossed off his soaked tee and grabbed a fresh red t-shirt from his dresser. He walked past the large mirror near the door and noticed something. 'This shirt seems a bit smaller than normal' he thought as he saw that the shirt clung to him, accentuating every lean muscle underneath, never thinking it was just him got bigger after all those years of hard work and heavy lifting, not that he ever noticed it with his favorite shirt always on. But he paid it no heed, 'maybe Granny just washed it different er somethin'' he figured as he walked to the hallway closet to put grab a small towel for his hair and walked into the bathroom.

He let the water from the sink run for a tad before cupping some in his hands and letting the cool sensation hit him in the face like a hard buck to the chest. As he looked up into the mirror at his relieved expression and saw the shape he was in, he let a smile creep up 'AJ always does know what's best. Walkin' into Miss Rarity's place like Ah was would've been down right… unseemly, yeah that's the word.' Miss Rarity always seemed like a very refined lady to him, so he always tried to be more polite than usual in her company. He dipped his head down under the water to wash the sweat away for a minute. Then brought his head up with the towel over the top, rubbing his hair dry vigorously then shaking it loose, letting a small spray mess up his reflection. He peered into the sprinkled reflection for a moment. 'Might as well' he thought as he opened a drawer and drew a simple comb to straighten his hair. 'Better' he confirmed as he walked downstairs giving his blonde mane another shake to make it right.

"Alright Rare, no problem. Yeah, Ahl see you this this weekend with the girls. 7? Okay, bye" he heard his younger sister say as well as the sound of hanging up. She scooted past Granny again to hand him his truck keys. "Rarity said ya can come over fine but she'd like ya to pick up Sweetie Belle from school. That way Rarity can keep workin' without goin' out uh her way and you can pick up Applebloom while yer at it. Got that?" she said holding out his keys.

"Eyyup" he said with a smile taking his keys heading out the door. He walked up to his big red pick-up and jumped in the cab, and peered through the big green transparent apple decal on his back window, which was very noticeable if you were following him, as he backed out of the driveway and made his way to his sis's school.

Their quaint town of Ponyville, which by legend was named for some famous pony, 'A famous pony can you image?' he thought, was a great place to live, almost no crime, kind people, steady economy, good schools, and only about fifty miles from the capital city Canterlot. 'Hmm… awful lot of horse themes where we live' he thought randomly. But it was big enough you had everything you needed, but small enough that everyone knew everyone else.

Big Mac spotted the school to on the next right, he'd been so caught up in his thoughts he had snuck up on it rather quickly. He pulled into the rather small parking lot where he spotted several other parents waiting for their kids, along with one familiar female. He would've noticed that Kawastallion motorcycle on any road and parked right beside it. He stared down at the rider still wearing her lightning bolt decaled helmet, but her unique rainbow hair popping out from underneath. And of course she had her trademark (really trademarked) rainbow lightning bolt on the back of her leather riding jacket. He rolled down the window to say hello. "Well looky here, some gung-ho rebel lost her way onto a school parking lot."

The woman took one sideways glance and quickly removed her helmet to let her multi-colored mane sprout like a rainbow from a storm cloud. "Hey Big Mac, how's it hanging?" Rainbow Dash quipped looking up at him.

He smiled gently and ignored her usual double entendre at him. "Ahm just dandy. And aren't ya a bit old ta be hangin out in school parking lots ta try and look cool?"

"Hey, I never need to **try** to look cool. And for your information, I'm here to pick up Scootaloo. And what about you?"

"Applebloom and Sweetie Belle" he said simply. He then took a moment to look over her bike. "Ya sure that thing's safe fer a youngin' to be ridin' on?"

"Are you kidding? It's perfectly safe; I've known how to ride these since I was 12. And besides Scootaloo has her own helmet and all she has to do is hold onto me. So there!" She said poignantly.

"All right if you say so" he said rolling his eyes as he suddenly heard the school bell go off and a wave of tikes come rushing through the door, some to the buses and others to their waiting chauffeurs. Luckily from his high truck he was easily able to spot that big red ribbon that could only belong to his youngest sister. He stuck his head out of his window, put his index finger and thumb in his mouth, and gave the loudest whistle he could muster to get her attention and succeed when he saw her bow turn drastically.

Applebloom came up to the truck with a mile-wide grin followed closely by her two best friends. "Howdy Mac!" she squealed.

"Hi Big Macintosh." Her friends chimed in.

"Howdy ladies" he responded back politely with a tip of his hat.

Scootaloo quickly took her helmet out of her backpack and popped it on and saddled up behind Rainbow Dash quicker than a hiccup. "Woo Hoo! Let's ride Dash! See ya tomorrow girls!" she said excitedly to her friends.

"Bye!" they all responded.

"Now hold on tight Scoots" Rainbow Dash said to her new riding companion as she eased out the parking spot and rode off rapidly with her backside amigo hollering happily the whole way.

Sweetie Belle watched them ride off and turned up to Big Macintosh and said, "Well see you later, I'm going to find Rarity's car." As she turned away, Big Macintosh quickly interceded.

"Actually Sweetie, Ahm headin' to Rarity's right now, and Ahm sposed to pick ya up so she can keep busy at the boo-tique."

Sweetie Belle looked very confused for a moment until Applebloom took her arm, "Cool, come on Sweetie Belle, hop in!" and lead her around to the other side of the truck to get in the passenger seat.

Sweetie Belle looked up the door, whose handle was barely within reach. "How are we supposed to get in this monster?"

Applebloom just giggled to herself. "Like this" she walked up to the side and stepped up on a small set of stairs "Big Mac had these put on cause AJ can barely even get her legs up and Ah can't reach at all" she said as she opened the door wide and scooted next to her brother and set her backpack in the tiny back of the cab. "Now hustle yer bustles" she said patting the empty seat to her right.

"Well… alright" she said reluctantly as she lifted her legs high to set them on the step. And finally haul herself into the seat next to Applebloom.

Big Macintosh reached across both of them to easily close the door behind her. "Now buckle up ladies" he said with a smile. And they did as he shifted into gear and pulled out from the school.

It was rather quiet for a bit until Sweetie Belle popped a question. "Hey Big Macintosh, how come you need a truck so big?" she asked curiously.

Big Macintosh just smiled, "Well Ah spose it's a farmer thing."

"Plus, he's a so big, he needs a truck to match" Applebloom chimed in as she turned to face her brother, "Right?"

He reached down to pat her head "Eyyup." He then noticed something coming up fast in his rear view mirror. He stared back at the upcoming dot and slowly got a knowing look on his face.

Sweetie Belle saw his reaction and said, "What's wrong Big Macintosh?"

He shook his head, "Nothing Sugarcube, just noticing the driver behind us."

"Who is it?" Applebloom asked as she and Sweetie Belle tried to look back over the tall back of their seats.

"Ah'll give ya'll a clue. Who's the only person in all of Ponyville who not owns the only pink car, but can't drive it well to save her life?"

And speak of the devil as the young bubbly girl herself got into the lane to the left of them dead even with the top of her pink convertible down, her long raspberry colored hair whipping in the wind. The girls cheerfully yelled "Pinkie Pie!"

"Hi everybody!" she yelled to them waving. "Where are you off to huh? Hey, wanna go to Sugar Cube Corner? They have this great new…"

"Pinkie Pie, look out!" Big Macintosh yelled.

She looked forward to realize that she was had drifted into the oncoming lane while talking to the group in the pick-up. "WOAH!" she yelled as she swerved back into her own lane. "Phew, that was close" she exhaled and quickly turned back to them "So anyway…"

"Pinkie, stop sign" Big Macintosh said back.

"Oh right" she said as she came to stop next to them at the stop sign.

Big Macintosh quickly said to her, "Pinkie, ain't this your turn?"

"Oh right" she said turning on her left blinker all of a sudden. "Bye!" she yelled as she made the quick turn towards her favorite place in town.

Big Macintosh let out a huge sigh of relief as he shifted and pulled forward through the intersection. "Ah swear women drivers'll be the death of me yet."

"Hey!" the two young girls on his right exclaimed in his direction.

"Oops… sorry" he said lowering his head slightly. They couldn't have reached Carousel Boutique fast enough.

He pulled up carefully and discrete like to Rarity's shop. It was a nice place, big and fancy but not out place at all, with a second story that served as Rarity and Sweetie Belle's living area. "All right, everybody out!" he exclaimed reaching back for his torn shirt in a plastic bag.

Sweetie Belle opened the door and very slowly lowered herself to the pavement. Applebloom decided to join in, "Can Ah come too?" she asked.

"Ahm only gonna be a minute." He told her.

"Puhleeeeeeeeease?" she said with her big soppy eyes.

'Curse the unbearably adorable look uh hers' he thought. "All right, but when Ah say it's time ta go, I don't want ta have ta wrangle yer keister back into this truck young lady." He said pointing at her to drive his point home.

"Okay!" she said with a smile and slid out of the truck.

He just smiled as he followed Sweetie Belle and his sister into the store. Of course Applebloom chased right after her friend while Big Macintosh looked around for the proprietor of the store and finally saw her near a mannequin with a pincushion in her mouth sticking needles into a dress with a focused look on her face. She was wearing a fluttery white women's dress shirt, a tight black skirt that went to about knee length, and her typical black work shoes that seemed to have about an inch of extra heel. And he could see near the back of her right ankle her own three purple gems tattoo which matched her fingernails and flowing coiffure. 'Wow' he thought to himself, 'she's just as purty as always'. "Scuse me Miss Rarity" he said from across the store.

Her head snapped to attention. "Oh Darling" she started until she let go of the pincushion in her mouth which landed on the floor, and resulted in sending needles everywhere. "Oh drat!" she exclaimed with luckily no one else in the store. Big Macintosh hurried over to her to get a good look at the mishap. She looked up at him from her now slouched over position. "Oh I do apologize for my outburst, I just get so caught up in things I lose track of where I am sometimes" she said trying to pick up the needles and put them back in their tomato-shaped cushion.

"Oh no Miss Rarity, It's Mah fault fer startlin' ya. I didn't mean ta" he said bending over himself to help her.

"Oh please do be careful, I would hate to have you skewer yourself on my account."

He just smiled while gathering up a couple carelessly into his right hand. "Oh don't you worry none bout me Miss Rarity", he said holding them all pointing out. "Watch" he said as he pressed them to his left hand and heard Rarity take a loud gasp. But has he pulled them away there was no blood or puncture marks. "Calloused hands do a body good" he remarked with a cheeky grin.

"Well I, that is quite something I must say" she said as she reached for his hand mindlessly. She ran her fingertip across his palm with a hint of wonder. "Yes, they are quite tough" she was simply amazed at his hand that felt as if she was running her fingers against a piece of rawhide leather. Meanwhile he couldn't help but notice how soft and dainty her hands were compared to his. It seemed to him that you could fit both of her hands in just his.

He was caught for a moment in the position of her stare, and could suddenly feel the room getting very hot. "Uhh… Ah think Ah see another one under that dummy Miss Rarity" he said in a hurry.

"Huh?" she said as she looked up at him. "Oh, right, yes" she said now in a panic herself tearing her hand away from his and looking frantically for said needle. 'Oh, you're just a mess today Rarity, get it together.' They knelt quietly picking up the last few in view. "Well I think that's all of them" she said sticking the last few into the cushion and standing up while straightening out her skirt.

"Ah reckon" he agreed and stood to his full height as well, nearly towering over her all of a sudden.

'He must be almost a foot taller than I am' she thought to herself as she looked up to him.

Big Macintosh sensing another awkward moment spoke up again, "So uhh, about that call from AJ" he started.

Instantly Rarity went into a small internal frenzy as she walked back to the front of her desk. "Oh yes, yes Darling of course, Applejack's phone call, oh and I can't thank you enough for picking up Sweetie Belle by the way, I've been so engrossed in my work that I've barely had any time to eat today much less leave the boutique, um, where is Sweetie Belle by the way?" she asked looking around for her younger sibling.

"Oh, she went upstairs with Applebloom before Ah could even get through the door."

"Oh dear, I completely missed her, I didn't even hear the door open. Oh, I've just been so busy lately I can't seem to focus on anything but work." She said a tad worried.

"Well, if yer so busy, Ah don't don't want to have ta bog ya down with mah…"

"Oh yes of course, Applejack said you had something you wanted me to look at. Well what is it Darling?"

"Oh, oh no Miss Rarity, Ah can't ask you ta, ya said yerself how…"

"Nonsense, you're one of my best friend's brother, you're practically family. Now what is it? Anything." She said waving her hand dismissively not taking no for an answer.

He looked down with embarrassment, "Well, that is, if ya don't mind…" He pulled up his bag and pulled out his red flannel shirt.

"Oh, you're shirt, I thought something looked different about you, what…" He held it up to show the large rip on the backside. "Oh my…" and she inched closer to look carefully at the fabric then suddenly jolted away "OH MY" she exclaimed holding her nose, "what were you do…"

"Farming" he said as a matter of fact.

"Oh, well yes I suppose you would be." She took a breath and then took the shirt from him, looking at it front and back. "Oh but this thing is a rag. I can't believe you…" she stopped mid-sentence as she saw the look on his face, "Oh sorry, I'm not very used to worn out clothes." She thought for a moment. "You know, why don't I just make you a new one, I'm sure I can, I will just need your measurements though, I'll get my…"

"Nnnope" he said quickly and she stopped in her tracks. "Ah really just need a patch job Miss Rarity. Please?" he said in all the sincerity he could muster.

Rarity simply stared up into his face in bewilderment and slowly nodded her head. "Alright Big Macintosh, a patch job it will be, though perhaps I may give it a soak first." He smiled embarrassingly and she grinned as well giving it another look over. "Though if you don't mind, there is something I would like to do with it."

He scrunched his face up a bit, "Ah don't know."

And she suddenly broke in, "Oh I promise, I will not damage your shirt. I will only add not subtract, and anything I do will be easily redone to make it normal again. Please?" She said in a sort of imitation of Big Mac, only to him it came with a pair of big beautiful sapphire eyes that just burned through to him. How could he resist?

"Eeyup." He said mindlessly.

"Oh fantastic, I'll get it soaking right away then" she said quickly running off somewhere with his shirt with him stil standing there like a zombie.

He suddenly gave his head a light shake, 'What just happened?' he wondered to himself.

He heard her yell from a stationary tub from a small closet. "I'll have it ready for you by tomorrow I promise, that is if you can kindly pick up Sweetie Belle from school again."

He thought for a moment before blurting, "Eeyup."

"Oh fantastic, see you tomorrow then Darling!"

"Yeah…" he said blankly to himself .He just walked by the door before stopping for a second and let out another loud whistle towards the stairs. "Applebloom!"

"Coming!" he heard her yell as she came sputtering down the stairs. "Bye Sweetie Belle, see ya tomorrow!"

"Bye Applebloom" her friend hollered back as she bolted out the door.

The two got back into the truck and as Big Mac was turning the key his sis let her words slip. "you said ya were only goin' ta be a minute, that was waaay longer. What was the hold-up?"

He stopped his hand as he shifted from _Reverse_ "Nuff'em" he said barely audible.

Applebloom looked at him very skeptically, " 'Nuff'em' ehh? Well it don't seem like 'nuff'em', why I would think…"

"Ya know" he interjected "Ah thought Ah wrote down a list uh chores fer ya ta do somewhere, but where did Ah put it? Hmm…" he said almost threateningly.

"Ah sure hope Granny's making pie fer dessert tonight." She said quickly taking the hint.

"Eeyup." He said contently as they started down the road home to Sweet Apple Acres.


End file.
